Fade to Black: Protection of the Strong Shine
by Little White Comet
Summary: Book 1- When a thunder storm hits Seireitei, Ichigo wonders into Rukongai to try and get away from the hole in his heart. There he meets two siblings and decides to give them the names of Shizuku and Homura; Strong Shine.
1. Part I

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, Mild swearing and violence.

**Author's Note:**

Yes I have re-written this piece of writing, I just didn't like it and now my writing style has changed I thought it was best to just re-write the whole thing.

So now there is more of a plot line and hopefully my writing is a lot better.

Anyway I hope you guys like this re-written version, if you do please give me feedback ^_^

* * *

**Fade to Black Scripts: Protector of the Strong Shine**

**Part I**

* * *

"Ichii!" A familiar voice cried out as Ichigo's back hit the ground harshly; he coughed as he pushed himself up.

_Why is this happening?_

"No! Stay away from them!" Ichigo shouted out as he jumped in front of the Shinigami and pushed him backwards; the 2 children behind him cried out in concern but stayed put.

_Why, after everything calmed down, that I once again find myself fighting?_

Ichigo gasped as calloused hands wrapped around his neck and held him above the ground; he clawed desperately as he tried to breathe.

_Why do I find myself loosing after everything I've done?_

The Shinigami suddenly cursed and Ichigo fell to his knees, coughing, as his slowly gained his breath back; in the Shinigami's leg was his own Zanpakuto.

"You stay away from, Ichigo!" One of the children shouted before she was harshly backhanded to the ground.

"**You little brats**!" The Shinigami growled as he pulled his Zanpakuto out of his leg and raised it high; the child's eyes widened in horror as it was brought down.

"Onee-Chan!" The other child shouted as he dived on his older sister, Ichigo's eyes widened in horror as he tried to stand to his feet.

"No!"

_Why is it that I find myself unable to protect them?_

The Shinigami laughed as he brought his Zanpakuto down as Ichigo screamed; everything fell silent as blood stained the fresh grass red.

Ichigo fell down to the ground as he fought to stay awake; he watched as the children faded away in Spiritual Particles before he finally fell unconscious.

_Why is my memory of you fading into black?_

* * *

**1 week earlier: Soul Society- Seireitei, 4th Division**

"Now slowly move your arms out in front of you. Slowly Kurosaki-San." Restu Unohona instructed as she kept her hands on Ichigo's hips; Ichigo Kurosaki hissed in pain but he managed to do as he was told.

"Well done. Now I want you to move them to your side but keep them outstretched." Restu stated as she moved in front of Ichigo and placed her hands on his shoulder.

Restu was impressed on how much progress Ichigo had gotten through, he had somehow recovered from almost being cut in half and having serious spinal damage.

She was impressed with his recovery progress and also Orihime Inoue's healing power; she was sure that without her help, Seireitei would all still be wounded and unable to move for at least a month.

"I have to say I'm impressed Kurosaki-San. I have never seen someone recover so quickly with injuries like yours; in fact I'm surprised you survived after losing all that blood." Restu stated as she stepped back and allowed Ichigo to catch his breath.

"Well back at home I always get into fights because of my hair, I didn't like missing too much school because my teachers would ask question, so I had to recover quickly if I had serious injuries." Ichigo explained as he tried to get used to the brace against his spin.

"I see. Now how about you try walking, it's going to be a bit difficult for you because you usually walk with a slouch but I'm sure you'll be alright." Restu stated simply as Ichigo held his hand out to the side again and Restu took one of them in her own again.

Together the 2 of them worked on Ichigo's therapy until the sun was setting in Seireitei; Ichigo realised that Restu was right about finding it hard to walk with his back straight, his back kept trying to bend slightly and that sent pain down his spine.

By the end of the day Ichigo had managed to complete his therapy Restu smiled as she helped him back into his bunk.

"Now even though you've completed your treatment, you still need to heal. I want you take it easy this week and avoid using Shunpo. Try and stay off your feet as much as you can and if you plan of leaving the 4th Division please use a wheel chair." Restu stated and Ichigo looked at her in shock.

"What? Unohona-San I can't use a-"He cut off as Restu smiled and opened her eyes; Ichigo shivered in fear and his protests died in his throat.

"O-Okay. I understand, Unohana-San." Ichigo muttered and Restu smiled but this time without the scary edge.

"Thank you for cooperating, Kurosaki-San. Now get some rest." Restu stated and Ichigo nodded as the 4th Squad Captain walked out the room.

* * *

"And here I was coming to see if you were causing trouble for Captain Unohona. But I find you actually listening to her." Rukia Kuchiki smirked as she leaned against the door wearing the same white yukata as Ichigo.

"Oh shut up, Rukia. I couldn't just ignore Unohona-San, she's scary." Ichigo muttered as he shivered and Rukia laughed quietly as he she walked into the room.

"I won't deny that. So how's it going then, Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she sat down at the end of his bunk; Ichigo grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Great actually. I finished my therapy today but now I'm just going to let my back heal up." Ichigo explained and Rukia nodded in understanding.

"I never had a chance to properly thank you." Ichigo commented and Rukia blinked at him in confusion; Ichigo smiled as he placed his hand over her smaller one.

"Thank you, Rukia. I don't know what I would have done if I continued to go on living without this power. I wouldn't have last, I know that. So thank you, you made the rain stop inside of me." Ichigo stated simply and Rukia sniffed as tears filled her eyes.

"Idiot. You're not meant to thank me for that." Rukia muttered as she rubbed her eyes but she smiled as she gripped Ichigo's hand with both of hers.

"Thank you, Ichigo for everything." Rukia whispered and Ichigo smiled back and squeezed her hand softly in her own.

The 2 of them suddenly blushed and took their hands away, both avoiding looking at each other in the eye.

"Uh...anyway Ichigo, you better get better soon. You don't want to worry everyone." Rukia coughed as she jumped back to her feet and walked to the door.

"Hey Rukia?" Ichigo called out and Rukia looked back at him silently.

"Thanks for coming to see me." Ichigo stated with a smile and Rukia gladly returned it.

"I'll see you later, Ichigo." Rukia stated before she closed the door softly behind her; Ichigo sighed as he fell back against his bunk and looked out of the window next to him.

'It seems like it might rain again...' Ichigo thought to himself as he saw the cloud gathering in the red sky before he allowed himself to sleep.

* * *

Just like Ichigo predicted, as the sun set black clouds covered the night sky and it wasn't long before the whole of Soul Society was drenched in rain.

But as night turned into early morning the rain became harsher and it wasn't long before a loud crash sounded through the paths.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open as another loud boom rang through the night; he forced himself not to jump as the sky flashed white before fading.

"Damn it..." Ichigo muttered and he forced himself to sit up, flinching as the thunder crashed once again.

With a sigh he pushed back his covers and allowed his feet to hang over the edge of his bunk, he closed his eyes and listened to the rain beating against the 4th Division roof before he slowly allowed his socked feet to touch the floor.

Ichigo winced as he jarred his back but still walked forward and grabbed his black kimono from the side of his bed; slowly he slipped his arms through the sleeves and tied the strings before reaching for his hakama.

Thunder once again crashed through the sky and lighting flashed, lighting the dark room for a second, Ichigo took a shuddering breath as he easily slipped into his hakama and tied his obi around his waist.

He couldn't stay here, not with the storm going on outside; he needed to go for a walk and clear his mind.

Some people would have called Ichigo insane for wanting to go in this weather but this was perfect for him to clear his head; even though he didn't want to go against Restu's orders, he can't deny himself what his heart truly wants.

Ichigo slowly walked towards the other window and pushed it open, he easily ignored the rain that entered the room and he pulled himself up on the window seal.

"Sorry Zangetsu-Ossan. I'll be back later." Ichigo whispered to himself before he jumped away into the wet night.

Standing in the doorway stood a black cat, its golden eyes glowed in the darkness and it realised a breath similar to a sigh before walking away.

Leaving the room empty.

* * *

**South Rukongai**

Ichigo sighed as he walked around the empty streets of Rukongai. His normally spiky orange hair was now flat against his head.

His Shihakusho was soaked through and he himself was shivering, the storm had stopped but it was still pouring it down with rain.

He knew it was strange but being outside with the rain was helping him stay calm, he knew he was going to regret it later but for now he felt at peace.

"Onee-Chan! Onee-Chan, wake up!"

Ichigo stopped as he heard someone shout out; everyone was inside because of the rain; so where did that shout come from?

"Wake up! You can't rest here!" The voice shouted out again, Ichigo looked to his right to see a dark alleyway.

"Hello?" Ichigo called out, he heard someone gasp in shock.

"H-Help! My sister collapsed!" The voice shouted out, Ichigo quickly ran down the alleyway and his eyes widened at what he say.

There were two small children at the end of the alleyway, one was crouched over the other; shaking her shoulders. Both of them were drenched like Ichigo himself.

"S-Shinigami!" The crouched child suddenly whispered in fear as Ichigo came into view.

Ichigo saw that the first child was a boy with dark blue purple hair; it came down to the boy's ears and his eyes were a mix between pink and violet, he also wore a sleeveless grey kimono with a green obi.

"I won't hurt you; I'm not like other Shinigami!" Ichigo said simply as he whipped his hand over his dripping forehead.

Ichigo crouched down next to the boy and looked down at the second child.

This one was a girl and he could tell she was older than the boy. Her hair was blonde and because it was wet her eyes were covered.

She wore a light brown kimono with long sleeves; she also had a light green obi around her waist.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Ichigo said simply to both of the children, even though the girl looked unconscious.

Ichigo pushed the girls hear back and placed his hand on her forehead, his brown eyes narrowed slightly as the rain became harder.

"She's got a very high fever. Do you have any shelter? I can take care of your sister properly then?" Ichigo asked the little boy, he hesitated as he fiddled with the mud between his fingers.

"Y-Yes we do. B-But it's all the way in District 78 South Rukongai." The boy said, Ichigo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What's the name of the District?" Ichigo asked and the boy bit his lip again as he fiddled with the end of his kimono.

"I-Inuzuri..." He finally whispered and Ichigo nodded as he crouched down.

"Can you show me the way? We'll get there in no time with my speed." Ichigo said with a grin, the boy hesitated once again as he looked at his sister.

"I've got her. Get on my back." Ichigo said as he picked the girl up in his arms, the little boy didn't hesitate to do so.

"Which way?" Ichigo asked as the rain started to lighten up, the boy pointed to the right.

"Go that way." He said and Ichigo nodded as he crouched down.

"Okay, hold on." Ichigo said before he disappeared with Shunpo.

* * *

**District 78; Inuzuri**

Rain was pouring all over Rukongai; as the rain poured a small flame light lit in a small hut.

Ichigo sighed as he placed a wet cloth on the sister's forehead to try and bring her fever down.

"Onee-Chan..." The brother whispered as he wrapped himself tighter in the blanket.

Ichigo let out a cough before he handed some warm soup over to the little brother.

"Can't have you getting sick too, don't worry your sister will be fine." Ichigo said simply, the boy smiled slightly as he accepted the soup.

"Do you two have names then?" Ichigo asked as he wrapped himself tighter in his own blanket and blew on the hot soup.

"No...We don't have any..." A weak voice said, Ichigo looked down to the sister blinking up at him with hazy green eyes.

"You don't have any? Well how about I give you one?" Ichigo asked, the boy perked up and the sister pushed herself up slightly.

"Y-you'll give us a name?" The boy asked and the girl coughed slightly.

"Why? Why are you helping us?" The sister asked as Ichigo handed her his own cup of soup.

"Because I want to. It wouldn't be right for you not to have a name, ne?" Ichigo asked; the sister and the brother slowly started to smile.

"What's your name?" The brother asked and Ichigo smiled slightly.

"I'm Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said, the brother blinked at him in confusion.

"He...who protects...what a lovely name." The sister whispered before she coughed, Ichigo smiled as he damped the cloth on her forehead again.

"I'm surprised you worked that out, most people confuse it with Strawberry." Ichigo said and the sister smiled.

"It wouldn't suit you. Do you know what to call us?" The sister asked; Ichigo nodded as he smiled.

"I've already thought of one." Ichigo said simply, the brother suddenly cheered as he started jumping up and down.

"Yeah! A name! A name!" The brother shouted, the sister clamped her hands in excitement; being too weak to get up because of the fever.

"Hey, calm down." Ichigo ordered but he was smiling; the brother jumped at him and hugged him around the chest and Ichigo couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"Yes, I think you two would be perfect for these names. You are Shizuku." Ichigo said as he tapped the brother's nose lightly.

"And you are Homura. Back to back you two can shine brightly." Ichigo said as he placed his hand on Homura's damp blond hair.

"Thank you!" Shizuku cried out in joy, Homura suddenly started coughing causing Ichigo to sigh.

"You still have a fever, Homura. Don't push yourself." Ichigo said sternly, Homura's fever cheeks darkened as she nodded.

"O-Okay, Ichii." Homura said as she shortened Ichigo's name and he smiled and pushed her to lay down.

"Sleep. I'll protect you too, even when I don't have my sword." Ichigo said simply, Homura nodded and fell asleep.

"Ichii-San?" Shizuku asked nervously, Ichigo smiled slightly as he picked the young boy up and rested his back against the wall.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked as Shizuku yawned and gripped Ichigo's Kimono in his fingers.

"Will you stay with us? Forever?" Shizuku asked; Ichigo frowned sadly and sighed.

"I can't promise that. I don't belong in this world; I'll have to go back eventually." Ichigo said, Shizuku looked down at Ichigo's chest.

"Oh..." He whispered sadly, Ichigo smiled slightly and placed a hand on Shizuku's back.

"But I'll stay as long as I can, 'Kay?" Ichigo said, Shizuku nodded as he fell asleep.

"Thank you, Ichii-San..." Shizuku whispered before he fell into the land of dreams, Ichigo smiled as looked up at the open window behind him.

"Idiot. You have nothing to thank me for." Ichigo whispered as he watched the rain fall over Rukongai.


	2. Part II

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, mild swearing and violence.

**Authors Notes:**

* * *

**Fade to Black: Protector of the Strong Shine**

**Part II**

* * *

**Seireitei; 4th Division**

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as she slammed open the door hoping to scare the orange-headed teenager.

Instead of curses though she was met with silence, Rukia blinked in confusion as she saw the room empty and the bunk unmade.

"What? Where could he have disappeared too?" Rukia whispered to herself as she noticed his Shihakusho was also missing and his waraji.

"Ugh that Idiot. I should have known better than to believe he would stay put." Rukia growled to herself in annoyance.

"If you plan on catching him you're a bit too late, Kuchiki. He left in the early hours of this morning." A familiar deep voice called from the door and Rukia turned around in shock.

"Oh! Yourichi-Dono, you scared me. What do you mean? Why did Ichigo leave so early?" Rukia asked as she stared into Yourichi's golden eyes.

"I have no idea but from what I can tell from his Spiritual Energy he was deeply distressed, it only started after the storm hit." Yourichi stated and Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"Of course, it rained last night." Rukia whispered to herself before she shook her head and sighed.

"I better tell Captain Unohona. I'll see you later, Yourichi-Dono." Rukia mumbled as she walked out the door; still deep in thought.

Yourichi sighed as she shook her head; sometimes she just didn't want to know.

With that thought she easily jumped on the window and out of the 4th Division; leaving Rukia to telling Restu.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 78; Inuzuri**

Ichigo groaned as he felt himself slowly waking up; he yawned and rubbed his eyes before he slowly pushed himself up.

'At least it's not raining anymore...' Ichigo thought to himself as he saw the sun shining through the windows; with a sigh Ichigo scratched the back of his orange hair and slowly rouse from the futon he, Homura and Shizuku shared that night.

Ichigo sighed as he walked over to the small stove that the siblings had but Ichigo could tell he was the 1st one to use it last night; it was covered in dust and took a while to heat it up.

With a shake off his head Ichigo set to work on heating up the chicken and mushroom soup he cooked last night; there really wasn't anything else so it would have to do now.

'I'll have to try and get some other ingredients later.' Ichigo thought to himself as he stirred the soup slowly; although he had no idea how he was going to that considering he didn't have any money but he was sure to work it out.

Ichigo couldn't but sigh to himself once again as he looked over at the sleeping siblings, he couldn't help but question why he would go so far to look after the 2 of them; living in Rukongai is hard and Ichigo knew that he couldn't help the souls living here on his own.

But for some reason it was different with Homura and Shizuku, Ichigo couldn't really think of a way of explaining it but he felt connected to the siblings in some way; they felt like family to him.

Ichigo was brought of his thoughts when the 2 sibling slowly started to wake up, Ichigo couldn't help but smile as he turned off the stove and poured the last bit of soup into 3 separate bowls.

"Morning, you two. Did you sleep alright?" Ichigo asked as he watched Shizuku sit up and rub his eyes; Homura yawned widely and scratched the back of her head before sitting up.

"Yeah! Ichii kept us warm so we didn't get cold!" Shizuku cried out happily and Homura nodded in agreement to her younger brother's statement.

"That was the best sleep I've had since we've come here, Ichii. Thank you." Homura whispered and Ichigo blushed slightly at the gratitude but smiled as he handed the 2 children the bowls.

"It's no problem. Here have some breakfast. I'm sorry it's the same as last night but it's the only thing I could find so it'll have to do for now." Ichigo explained as he went back to the cooker to pick up his own bowl.

"We don't mind Ichii! You're a great cook; we've never had such a great meal." Shizuku said sadly and Ichigo nodded in understanding as he sat down next to the futon and slowly sipped his own soup.

"Well to make this I used the last of your supplies, so we're going to have to go into town to get some more; maybe then I can make you guys something different." Ichigo suggested and the siblings nodded happily.

"You're looking a lot better today, Homura. Are you feeling any better?" Ichigo asked as he noticed the flush on Homura's pale skin had gone down and her green eyes were brighter.

"Yeah! I'm feeling a lot better!" Homura stated happily and Ichigo nodded with a relieved smile.

"That's good. I was worried that it turned into something worse but obviously it was just a fever." Ichigo said as he finished off his soup; Homura nodded silently as she sipped hers more slowly but Shizuku laughed as he finished his off.

"Ichii..." Shizuku asked as he placed his bowl down on the floor; Ichigo hummed as he swallowed some soup softly.

"Why couldn't you promise to never leave us last night? Don't you want to stay with us?" Shizuku asked in confusion as his pink eyes filled slightly with tears.

Ichigo was quickly knelling in front of the siblings with his hands on both their shoulders; even though Homura was silent he could tell this bothered her just as much as her brother.

"It's not that, I would love to stay and look after you guys forever but...I can't. I don't belong in this world and back home I have some very important people waiting for me." Ichigo explained and Homura blinked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean you don't belong here? You're a Shinigami, right?" She asked and Ichigo smiled slightly with a nod.

"Yes I am a Shinigami but I'm also human. Unlike you 2 and all my Shinigami friends, I'm actually still alive and where I belong is in the human world, with my father and sisters." Ichigo said with a smile as he thought of his family.

"Sisters? You have siblings as well, Ichii?" Shizuku asked and Ichigo nodded once again as he sat down properly on the floor.

"Yeah, I have 2 younger sisters. They're twins but they are complete opposites of each other. Karin is the eldest twin, she's cold and irritable but she cares for us even if she doesn't show it. Yuzu is the youngest twin, she's really caring and sweet but she can be scary if you annoy here." Ichigo described with a grin that made Homura blink in shock.

'The way he smiles...he cares a lot for his sisters...he grins when he talk about them and his eyes sparkle with light. He really is human.' Homura thought to herself before she smiled and took Ichigo's bigger hands in her smaller ones.

"Well how about this. Instead of promising to stay, you promise to never forget about us. You're blood family can be your family in the human world, while me and Shizuku can be your family here. What do you say?" Homura suggested and Ichigo chuckled quietly before nodding.

"Sure. Alright, I promise to never forget about you when I leave." Ichigo promised and the siblings grinned happily before they both wrapped their arms around his neck.

"Thank you Ichii-Nii!" They cried out together in happiness as they snuggled into his chest; Ichigo blinked in shock before smiling gently and holding the siblings close.

"There's nothing you guys need to thank me for." He whispered and closed his eyes; allowing himself to savour the feeling of the siblings in his arms.

* * *

**Seireitei; 4th Division**

"What?" Rukia asked in shock and Restu closed her eyes sadly.

"Yes it's true. Kurosaki-San was last seen in the early hours of the morning entering South Rukongai and hasn't been seen since." Restu repeated her report; Rukia swallowed as she gript the desk in front of her to stop herself falling to the ground.

"He's been gone almost a day...where on earth could he have gone?" Rukia wondered quietly and Restu sighed slowly before answering.

"We don't know but please remember Rukia-San, he's still recovering from a very serious injury. If he ends up hitting his back or walking too far it could permanently crimple him." Restu stated seriously and Rukia gasped in shock.

"There's also the matter of his Zanpakuto." Restu continued as she nodded towards the wrapped clever resting against the wall.

"He has walked into Rukongai without any type of weapon except for Hakudo and Hoho, which will be limited because of his back. He may be in a lot of trouble." Restu said before she allowed her silver blue eyes to lock with Rukia's wide purple ones.

"You must find him and bring him back, Rukia-San. That boy may be the very key to stopping Sosuke Aizen; you must find him and bring him back soon." Restu ordered and Rukia bowed quickly.

"Understood Captain Unohona! I'll bring Ichigo back safely." Rukia promised before she ran out of the room; Restu sighed as she looked back towards the strange blade in the corner of her office.

"You're welder is more trouble than I originally thought." Restu whispered softly before sighing and turning back to the paper work at her desk.

An almost silent chuckle sounded in her ears before the room fell silent.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 78; Inuzuri**

Ichigo bit his lip nervously as he watched from the shadows as the siblings ran into the town; with him being dressed in his Shihakusho Ichigo couldn't help them steal food.

It would be too obvious with his bright orange hair; Ichigo also very confident in the fact that they had to steal, he just couldn't steal from people even if they deserve it.

That left him no choice but to let Homura and Shizuku get the ingredients and him to be ready to use Shunpo to get them out of there.

Ichigo was so busy watching the siblings he didn't notice someone sneak up behind him until he saw the shadow on the ground; before he could turn around he felt something hard being brought down on the top of his head.

He grunted as he fell to his knees, his vision swimming from the hard blow but he quickly rolled to the side and on to his feet to avoid another blow.

Standing behind him with a huge black of wood was a soul with long black hair, he wore a messy short kimono that came up his knees but it was open to show off his chest that was covered in scars.

"Wha's a Shinigami doin' all the way down 'ere in Inuzuri." The man growled and Ichigo winced as he felt blood starting to flow down the back of his head.

"That's none of your business why I'm here but it's not to cause trouble." Ichigo replied as he kept his arms by his side to show he wasn't planning on attack anyone; it was something he had picked up on after helping his father with troublesome patients.

"Wha' crap! You come 'ere unarmed and except me to believe tha'?" The man snorted and Ichigo cursed himself silently for leaving Zangetsu behind.

Ichigo quickly stepped back as the soul brought the plank down once again with speed that Ichigo didn't expect but then he sensed something covering the wood.

'Spiritual Energy! He's covered the plank in his own Spiritual Energy!' Ichigo thought to himself in shock before he brought his arm up and blocked the piece of wood with his forearm.

"What the-?" The soul gasped in shock as Ichigo gript the wood tightly in his hand and with a growl Ichigo punched his free hand forward; the man cried out as Ichigo's fist shattered his nose and the soul fell backwards, the plank clattering to the floor.

"Leave now." Ichigo ordered but the soul simply laughed harshly as he stood back to his feet.

"You bastard." The soul spat as he whipped blood of his lip; Ichigo swore softly and got into a loose karate stance.

"Listen to me! I am not here to cause trouble; I don't want to fight you!" Ichigo shouted in frustration but the soul simply snorted.

"Or wha'?" He taunted but Ichigo didn't rise to his taunt; he simply stared at the soul with pity in his eyes.

"Otherwise I'm going to have to kill you." Ichigo stated simply but the man simply laughed.

With a yell the man charged forward and swung the wooden plank forward; Ichigo ducked under the plank and swung his fist forward once again, the soul grunting as it landed on his stomach sending him staggering back slightly.

The man chuckled before charging forward once again and once again Ichigo easily blocked the attack; the man's eyes narrowed in annoyance as he tried to put more weight on Ichigo's arm but the orange headed Shinigami stayed firm.

Ichigo grunted before he brought his leg up and kicked the man sharply in the chest, the soul coughed as he flew backwards and crashed into the wall behind him.

"Ichii!" Two familiar voices suddenly screamed and Ichigo turned around in shock to see the siblings staring at him in shock.

"Homura! Shizuku!" Ichigo shouted out but suddenly he felt something smash into his back, Ichigo crumbled to the ground with a strangled cry.

"Hahaha! Not so tough now, are you Shinigami!" The soul laughed as he brought the plank down on his back again; Ichigo coughed and clenched his eyes in pain.

"Ichii!" Shizuku cried out in fear as he ran forward ignoring his older sister's shouts.

"Ge' lost bra'!" The soul cursed as he brought his fist back and punched Shizuku harshly across the small boy's face, the dark haired boy cried out as he landed on the floor.

"Shizu-Arg!" Ichigo cried out as the man stomped on his back once again.

"Shu' it, Shinigami! An' you bra' stay where you are, otherwise I'll kill you're lit'le bro'er!" The soul shouted out as Homura stepped forward; she froze in shock and stayed in place.

"You...bastard..." Ichigo cursed but the man simply laughed.

"Don' worry, Shinigami! You'll be the first to go. Die, Shinigami!" The man laughed as he turned the plank over to the other side; Ichigo's eyes widened in horror when he saw the sharp edge the plank had.

'If he puts enough strength behind that...it'll pierce me right through!' Ichigo thought to himself before he clenched his eyes shut and waited for the pain to come.

"**You leave Ichii alone!**" A familiar voice screamed but Ichigo couldn't force his eyes open; he heard a skin crawling scream from the man before his injuries got the better of him.

Ichigo's world faded to black and he fell unconscious as the memories of hearing Homura slaughtering another soul was forced from his mind.

* * *

**Seireitei; 12th Division**

"**Warning. Warning. Experiment no. 44320 has been released from its cell. I repeat Experiment no. 44320 has been released from its cell**." The alarm system boomed as the room flashed bright red; the panicked Shinigami's didn't notice a small transparent serpent slowly slivering under the door and out into the night.

"**Finally I'm free. It's been too long since I've had a proper host**." The serpent hissed before it spotted a Shinigami running by him.

Quickly it jumped onto the back of his hakama and slowly brought himself up to its neck; the Shinigami froze in shock as it felt something cooling around his throat.

"**You will do for now, Shinigami. At least until I find a better host**." The serpent hissed before it forced it's tale up to the Shinigami's mouth and forced it down his throat.

The Shinigami gargled and chocked before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, giving one last chocked cough before falling limp.

His dead eyes glowed bright purple as the serpent slowly took control of his dead body and forced it to walk towards the nearest gate to Rukongai.


	3. Part III

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, mild swearing and violence.

**Authors Notes:**

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas.

Right now I'm sitting next to my new Chibi Ichigo Plushy, he's absolutely adorable and is probably the best thing I got for Christmas this year.

What was the best thing you guys received this year? Out of everything else you got?

Anyway to start of the New Year I thought I would put of this chapter before I finish of GS, I am very close to finishing chapter 10 for you guys I just have a few other scenes to complete.

Chapter 4 of Memories of the Dragon is also almost complete I've only got one more scene left so that will be out soon as well.

Before you got to the story I would just like to say that Nikujaga is a popular Japanese dish which is literally meat (Niku) and potatoes (jagaimo).

Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I look forward to your feedbacks ^_^

Next I will be either updating DH or CH ^_^

**

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**

Fade to Black: Protector of the Strong Shine

**Part III**

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 3; Azumi**

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted desperately as she ran through the slowly darkening streets of District 3 Azumi hoping to find her best friend before night fall.

She had managed to search through 3 districts so far and still now sign of Ichigo.

"Damn it! He couldn't have gone so far into South Rukongai with his injuries. At most he would have only made it to the 8th District." Rukia muttered to herself as she stopped to catch her breath.

'Damn it, Ichigo. Why did you go without telling anyone? Or at least leaving a note! We would have understood!' Rukia thought to herself in frustration.

"Rukia!" A familiar voice suddenly shouted bringing Rukia out of her thoughts; she looked over her shoulder in confusion to see her childhood friend appear behind her with Shunpo.

"Renji! What are you doing here?" Rukia asked in confusion as she turned to face her red-headed friend; Renji Abarai sighed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"I guess you didn't hear the news then. A seriously dangerous experiment has escaped from the 12th Division. The whole of Seireitei has been put of lock down until it's found." Renji explained and Rukia's eyes widened in shock.

"What? B-But Ichigo is still out there!" Rukia protested but Renji blinked at her in confusion.

"Ichigo? What are you on about, Rukia? Isn't Ichigo in the 4th Division going through physical therapy with Captain Unohona?" Renji question and Rukia quickly shook her head.

"No. He walked into South Rukongai yesterday night, that's what I'm doing out here. I'm trying to find him and bring him back before the idiot get's himself killed!" Rukia growled in frustration and Renji quickly held up his hands.

"H-Hey Rukia calm down. I'm sure Ichigo is fi-"

"The idiot left before he could fully heal and he left behind his Zanpakuto." Rukia interrupted bluntly and Renji's eyes widened in shock.

"What? That idiot!"

"Exactly! Now you here you can help me find him, screw what orders you've been given! I have been given this task by Captain Unohona and now you will be helping me; I'll explain it to Nii-Sama when we get back." Rukia ordered as she turned around and started walking again leaving Renji spluttering.

"B-But Rukia-! Rukia!" Renji shouted desperately but he sighed in annoyance when he realised she either couldn't hear him anymore or was ignoring him.

"Jeez, the idiot is going to be the death of both of us..." Renji muttered to himself before he quickly took off running after his childhood friend.

**

* * *

**

South Rukongai: District 78; Inuzuri

"How long will it take them to wake Obaa-San?" A familiar voice broke through Ichigo's unconscious mind; he wanted to wake up but his eyes wouldn't open to his command and they stayed firmly shut.

"They will wake when they wake. The Shinigami took quite a beating and your friend used most of her Spiritual Energy to take on that soul. They both need there rest." An old woman voice lectured before Ichigo finally managed to open his eyes.

He hissed as the light burned them and quickly brought his arm to block the light as his eyes slowly got used it.

"Ichii! You're awake!" The familiar voice cried out again and Ichigo looked just in time to catch Shizuku as he threw himself at the blinking Shinigami.

"Shizuku! What's wrong?" Ichigo asked in concern as he forced himself up into a sitting position, grunting slightly at the pain that went up his spin; Shizuku sniffed as he buried his face into Ichigo's white yukata.

"I-I was so worried about y-you! B-Both you and O-Onee-Chan suddenly fell to the ground! I-I was scared!" Shizuku whispered through his sobs; Ichigo blinked in shock before he placed a hand in Shizuku's dark hair and the other soothing rubbed the boy's back.

"Hey, hey. I'm alright, see? Stop crying Shizuku." Ichigo whispered and Shizuku sniffed before nodding in understanding and rubbed his eyes.

"It's good to see you are up, Shinigami." The unfamiliar voice stated and Ichigo looked to see a short, old woman sitting on her knees by a small table; she wore a beige kimono with a white obi around her waist, she also wore a light green haori.

'For someone living in District 78 she is very well dressed.' Ichigo thought to himself as he remembered Homura's and Shizuku's tattered kimono they owned.

"A-Are you the one who saved us?" Ichigo asked in hesitation as the old woman took a puff of her pipe before she finally answered.

"If by save you picked you up and took you back to my hut, then yes I did save you." She stated and Ichigo snorted softly before looking over his shoulder to where Homura was sleeping in another futon.

"Don't worry about her; she'll wake up when she's restored her strength." The old woman stated when she noticed Ichigo's concerned stare.

"Why? Did something happen?" Ichigo asked in worry as he tried to remember what happened after he was pushed to the floor by the soul but his mind came up blank; he must have fallen unconscious.

"She got you to me, even though you are not as heavy as someone your age should be she still wore herself out. She'll wake up after a good sleep." The old woman stated and Ichigo nodded in acceptance.

"That so? Well then thank you for taking care of us." Ichigo said with a slight bow of his head but the Old Woman waved off his apology.

"Think nothing of it, Shinigami; you helped out a lot of us today by taking out that Hanzel. He's been causing us trouble for many years and none of us are sad to know he's gone." The Old Woman stated simply and Ichigo nodded in silence; working out for himself that the Soul that attacked him must have been Hanzel.

Suddenly his stomach gave a large growl causing him to blush in embarrassment as the Old Woman chuckled slightly.

"I forgot that Souls with Spiritual Energy need to eat, especially Shinigami. Well then come on into the other room and I'll cook something up for all 3 of you; your friend will be up soon anyway." The Old Woman said as she stood to her feet and walk through the archway; Ichigo grunted as he pushed himself to his feet before Shizuku grabbed his hand and leading him towards the other room.

* * *

Ichigo watched in amusement as Shizuku and Homura, who had woken up just in time for the meal, dug into their second helping of Nikujaga happily; this was probably the best meal that had in a while and Ichigo had to admit it was very good.

But even so Ichigo found himself feeling suspicious of the Old Woman, he knew he was probably being silly but he still couldn't shake off the feeling that she wasn't who she seemed to be.

The fact that she wore such expensive kimono's and had enough food to make a dish like Nikujaga made Ichigo slightly on edge; even though he had only been here for a couple days Ichigo had learned that things like meat were very hard to come across and yet here was someone who live in District 78 serving a dish that most likely had at least 2 weeks' worth of meat in it.

Ichigo finally sighed and shook his head as he finished the last bit of his meal and set his chopsticks down lightly on the low table; there was no need for him to dwell on such things, even if she was slightly strange the Old Woman had helped him and the siblings.

For now he was just going to ignore his paranoid thoughts and finish of the one of the best meals his had since the last time he had dinner with his family.

With that in mind Ichigo picked up his bowl and sipped the remaining liquid slowly, not noticing the way the Old Woman was staring at him in a strange fascination.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 3; Azumi**

Renji and Rukia finally came to a stop at the border line of Azumi, ignoring the way the souls guarding the gate was glaring at them in suspicion.

"Rukia you've looked through 3 whole Districts! With his injuries it's impossible for Ichigo to have gotten any further." Renji finally said as he tried to catch his breath; Rukia shook his head as she ordered the souls to open the gate.

"You don't know that Renji! You know how stubborn he is! It wouldn't surprise me if he turned up in Seireitei saying he was in Inuzuri the whole time." Rukia retorted as she moved to go into the next District but Renji quickly grabbed her arm.

"Rukia! You've been searching for almost 2 days without sleep! At this rate you're going to end up collapsing and you're meant to be recovering." Renji growled in annoyance before he grabbed his friend by her shoulders and shook her.

"You need to rest, Rukia. You only just got the Spiritual Energy restrainers off; you can't go wandering around Rukongai without any food or sleep." Renji stated seriously and Rukia finally sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I guess you're right. We'll start searching again tomorrow." Rukia stated before she turned and started walking towards the closest bar; even though he wanted to protest Renji knew he wouldn't get her to change her mind, so he quickly ran after to get something to eat.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 78; Inuzuri**

"So what is a Shinigami doing all the way out here without their weapon?" The old Woman as she suddenly sat next to Ichigo on her hut's porch; Ichigo blinked at her before he looked back out in to the yard watching the siblings play happily with each other.

"I could ask you the same, why someone as wealthy as you if out in District 78?" Ichigo retorted and the old woman snorted as she slowly lit up her pipe once again.

"Touché." She stated simply and the 2 of them fell into silence, Homura and Shizuku's laughs the only noise heard until Ichigo sighed.

"I found them in the rain a 2 nights ago and Homura, the little girl, had a horrible fever. I couldn't just leave them there to die." Ichigo explained and she hummed as she allowed a puff of smoke to blow out of her mouth.

"Some Shinigami would have." She stated seriously and Ichigo swallowed and nodded in agreement.

"I know but I just couldn't. I keep telling myself that I need to go back, leave while there sleeping, but..." Ichigo trailed off as he looked back out towards the siblings; he couldn't help but smile slightly as he saw the joy in their eyes.

"You'd never be able to live with the guilt of leaving them all alone again." The Old Woman said in understanding and Ichigo nodded but stayed silently.

"Then I made the right decision making this then." She suddenly said before she stood up and walked back into the hut; Ichigo blinked in confusion as he turned around slightly.

"Making what?" Ichigo called after her before she walked back towards him with a small brown package in her hands.

"Here." She stated as she dropped it into Ichigo's lap; he blinked at in confusion and picked it up slowly; feeling that it was something soft through the paper.

"Well just don't stare at it. Open it!" The old woman ordered sharply and Ichigo nodded before tearing off the paper only for his eyes to widen in shock.

He slowly stood up and allowed the bundle of cloth to unravel to reveal it was a long sleeved haori; it was sky blue in colour and it was tinted white around on the ends of the sleeves and also the hood.

"I-It's amazing..." Ichigo whispered as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers only to realise it was made of pure silk; he swallowed as he looked at the Old Woman in shock.

"I-I can't accept this...!" Ichigo objected but she merely waved him off with another snort.

"Don't be stupid boy. I'm not going to sell the damn thing, it was made for you! So stop standing there and try it on." She ordered and Ichigo nodded silently before he slipped his hands into the Haori's sleeves and slowly pulled it on.

It fitted him perfectly, it was came down to the ends of his hakama covering them from the back and the sleeves covered his hands slightly meaning his kimono was also covered; the hood was big enough to completely cover his bright orange hair and also his eyes slightly, making a slight shadow appear over them.

"Good it fits. Now you need to wear that every time you wander around Inuzuri without a weapon; in fact in any of the higher Districts. That way the Souls here won't be condemned to attack you unnecessarily." She explained and Ichigo nodded in understanding.

"T-Thank you. You've been incredibly kind to all of us." Ichigo whispered as he bowed at the waist; the Old Woman snorted again as he straightened up.

"Don't worry about it, boy. Now get going, those too are looking tired and you need to get your food home." She stated as she handed Ichigo a heavy looking sack; Ichigo's eyes widened again but the Old Woman shushed him before he could protest.

"You take care of those kids, you hear me Shinigami? You don't find such innocent spirits in Districts like Inuzuri anymore." She spoke quietly but Ichigo heard her perfectly and he nodded in understanding.

"I will protect them with my life, you have my word." He vowed and the Old Woman smiled as he patted his shoulder before walking into the hut and slowly closing the door; Ichigo sighed as he turned and walked over to where Homura and Shizuku were waiting, all ready aware that he probably won't see the Old Woman again.

"Come on let's head back." Ichigo said as he crouched down and allowed the 2 of them climb up on his shoulders before he Shunpoed away.

**

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**

South Rukongai: District 69; Chiyo

A ear splitting scream was heard across the darkened of streets of Chiyo before a male soul fell down to the ground before he vanished into Spiritual Particles.

"**Such weaklings...**" A voice hissed before a dark haired Shinigami stumbled out of the ally, his Zanpakuto dripping with his blood that also coated his lips.

"**I can sense it. Such strong Spiritual Energy...**" He hissed as he licked the blood of his lips as he walked further into the light of the moon revealing dead electric blue eyes which shone of hunger and insanity.

"**I must have it!**"He screamed before he gave a Hollow like shout before taken off running once again; slowly heading closer towards the dirtied streets of Inuzuri.


	4. Part IV

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, Mild swearing and violence.

**Authors Notes:**

Here it is guys! I'm sorry for taking so long. I just didn't know where I was going with this so I planned it out and wrote down my plot; my writers block soon vanished and now I'm planning on doing this with all my stories ^_^

Now I've actually managed to draw a Cover for this story on Deviant-Art and I also have one ready for the other 3 Arcs as well; so if you want to see that click on the link on my profile and look for 'Fade to Black Scripts' in my gallery.

Now I would just like to point out why Ichigo could get to Seireitei so much quicker than Rukia and Renji getting to him in Inuzuri; he is naturally fast in his Shinigami but he was also trained by Yourichi in Shunpo.

Meaning he is one of the fastest Shinigami in existence, even managing to keep up with Byakuya in close range combat; that means getting to Seireitei and back in a day is no problem to him, especially now his injuries have healed.

Renji and Rukia on the other hand are not as fast and use a normal level of Shunpo; also Renji is still recovering from his injuries and Rukia has only just had her powers unsealed, they are not at full strength like Ichigo.

Just wanted to explain that for you guys before you read this chapter ^_^

Also! Fade to Black Scripts: Book 1-Protection of the Strong Shine is almost complete! I have the plot all ready to go, I just have to write it down into a proper chapter. As such I will be concentrating on finishing this before going back to my other stories; I'm not putting any of them on hold or Hiatus, I just want to finish this one before going back to them.

Finally I'm re-writing another Bleach Movie in my own writing, except this time it's a mini movie; Bleach-Sealed Sword Frenzy was a great mini movie but there were a things I didn't like, so I'm re-writing it to my own work and changing the plot line to my liking. That won't be out for a while yet though.

Anyway that's all I have to say guys! Please enjoy this chapter and review if you liked it.

* * *

**Protector of the Strong Shine**

**Part IV**

* * *

"Do you have to go, Ichii?" Homura asked as she watched Ichigo slip his kimono into his hakama before tying his obi around his waist.

"I'm sorry Homura but I can't leave Zangetsu there any longer. After yesterday's incident I really need to keep him with me." Ichigo explained as he slipped his waraji on and bent down so he could hug the small girl.

"I promise I'll be back by night fall, okay? I'll put my speed to the limit." Ichigo promised and Homura nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Okay, Ichii. Be careful!" Homura called as Ichigo opened the window and he smirked over his shoulder with a wave before he used Shunpo to disappear.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 3-Azumi/District 4-Hana**

After a good night sleep and a lovely meal, Rukia was ready to continue her search; so just as the sun had risen in the sky Rukia awoke Renji and quickly made her way over to the boarder.

"Rukia why don't we get some breakfast first?" Renji suggested but Rukia shook her head in objected as she watched the souls slowly open the boarder gate.

"We can't wait any longer, Renji! Who knows where Ichigo could be and for all we know he could injured! I still can't sense his Spiritual Energy so we just need to keep searching." Rukia stated as she walked through the gate and into District 4 Hana; with a groan Renji thanked the souls guarding the boarder before following after his childhood friend.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 1-Yoshiyuki/ Seireitei**

Ichigo gasped for breath as he finally came to a stop at the South Gate of Seireitei; he fell down his knees and tried to catch his breath having used Shunpo none stop for 2 hours since he left Inuzuri.

Finally he managed to catch his breath and straightened up but his eyes widened in shock when he saw the gate slowly closing; quickly he Shunpoed through the small gap left and landed on the other side, safely in Seireitei.

It was then that Ichigo realised he forgot something important; he had no idea where he was or how to get to his Zanpakuto, which he remembered Restu Unohona stating that it took a lot of her strength to get the blade out of his hands when he fell unconscious and that she was keeping it in her office to stop him from fighting.

'It's a good thing I said to Homura I wouldn't be back till nightfall, this may take a while.' Ichigo thought to himself as he looked up to the sky and covered his eyes to block out the sun.

"It's still morning..." Ichigo muttered to himself before he started walking down one of the many streets of Seireitei; praying that he was going in the right direction.

After wandering around for an hour Ichigo started to become very annoyed; it was like when he was trying to get to Rukia a few weeks back! All the walls and the path ways looked exactly the same.

"How the hell do people find their way around here so easily? It's no wonder Kenpachi gets lost!" Ichigo growled as his body shook with rage but he forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down; no need to send everyone into a panic because of his spiking Spiritual Energy.

"Wait...Spiritual Energy..." Ichigo trailed off as he face-palmed himself; he couldn't believe he had forgotten once of the 1st things he learned as a Shinigami; everyone had a Spirit Ribbon and they were created by Spiritual Particles.

"Because this place is created by Spiritual Particles it would be impossible to find another Shinigami by their Spirit Ribbon. But Zangetsu is a part of me; we have the same ribbon. To find Zangetsu I just need to find our Spirit Ribbon." With that though Ichigo closed his eyes and let out a small wave of his own Spiritual Energy to spread across Seireitei; some Shinigami shivered slightly as they felt the pressure brush past them and others froze slightly as the energy tore through them.

Finally Ichigo managed to sense it; with a smirk his hand shot out and grabbed held of the red Spirit Ribbon which was belonged to both him and his Zanpakuto.

With the ribbon held tightly in his hand Ichigo jumped on the nearest rooftop and quickly used Shunpo to get deeper into Seireitei; now he actually knew where he was going there was no need to walk.

Ichigo finally came to a stop in the familiar gardens of the 4th Division, with an easy jump he landed lightly on the a small bridge which was set up in the garden.

"I was closer to the gate than I original thought..." Ichigo muttered to himself as he started walking towards the barracks, easily ignoring the whispers of h patients around him having received the same treatment at home.

"Kurosaki-San..." A familiar voice suddenly called out causing Ichigo to freeze before he forced himself to look over his shoulder; Restu Unohona stood a few feet away from him with her usual smile on her lips but Ichigo could tell it was slightly different to normal.

"U-Unohona-San..." Ichigo stuttered nervously as Restu walked slowly towards him until she was standing in front of him; with the smile on her lips she placed her hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"I believe I deserve an explanation of where you disappeared to and you ignored my orders, right?" Restu asked causing Ichigo to nod stiffly but he paled when she opened her eyes slightly.

"You won't mine if I have a look at your injuries then, Kurosaki-San?" Restu asked but Ichigo could tell he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

So he swallowed slightly and nodded in acceptance causing her to smile once again but this time without the terrifying edge.

"Good. Follow me then, Kurosaki-San." Restu called as she walked towards her office with Ichigo following silently behind her; he'd rather face Kenpachi than get on Restu Unohona's bad side.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 4-Hana**

"I'm sorry, I've never seen any Shinigami walk through here with that description." The young woman apologized as she bowed to Rukia before quickly walking off into the village; Rukia sighed in irritation as she scratched the back of her neck before forcing herself to stop.

That was a habit she picked up from living with Ichigo for 3 months and she really needed to get out of it before she returned to her duties.

"Anything?" Renji asked as he walked to her side, sighing when Rukia shook her head with frustration clear on her face; he really didn't know what she was expecting, even though the lower Districts aren't as rough as the higher ones the trust they have in the Shinigami were the same.

"Rukia we can't search through all 80 Districts of South Rukongai by the time Ichigo and the others go home!" Renji stated and Rukia glared at him with her fist clenched.

"I know that!"

"Then what the hell are we doing out here? Ichigo will come back on his own free will! He can't hide out in Rukongai forever; he's got to come back eventually!" Renji shouted in frustration causing Rukia to look down to the ground so her bangs covered her eyes.

"Don't talk about Ichigo like some animal Renji! 'He's got to come back eventually.'" Rukia mocked as she glared at Renji with her blazing violet eyes causing Renji to step back slightly knowing he went too far.

"If he wasn't injured and without his Zanpakuto I'm sure he would come back on his own but he doesn't! He is completely defenceless out here and I refuse to let him die in a ditch somewhere when it's my fault he's here in the first place!" Rukia screamed before she panted for breath; Renji was reeling back in shock at her reaction but he swallowed and forced himself to nod in understanding.

"E-Excuse me?" A small voice suddenly whispered causing Rukia to break out of her thoughts as something tugged on her hakama; Rukia blinked down slightly to see a small girl with black hair and blue eyes looking back at her.

"I don't know if this is any use to you, Shinigami-San but there's a strange rumour going around since 2 days ago." The small girl stated simply and Rukia crouched down in front of the girl as she tugged on her hakama again.

"What is it?" Rukia asked as the young girl looked around her nervously before leaning in and whispering in Rukia's ear quietly; as if she was expected to be killed for saying it too loud.

"2 days ago a soul was torn to shreds in Inuzuri; normally it wouldn't matter but people who have Spiritual Energy say the felt a strange aura coming from there and the ally where the soul was killed is covered in it." The girl whispered quietly and Rukia's eyes widened in shock.

"Kimi!" A sharp voice suddenly called out causing the young girl to pull away from Rukia as if she had been burned; Rukia watched as she ran over to a tall, dark blue haired woman with green eyes.

"What have I told you about talking to strangers? Especially Shinigami, they cause nothing but trouble." The woman whispered furiously as she grabbed the young girl's wrist, Kimi, and dragged her away; Rukia easily ignored the woman's harsh words as her mind worked over Kimi's words.

'A soul being killed in Inuzuri is nothing special but having the place where it died covered in dense Spiritual Energy isn't normal, neither is the Spiritual Energy being so strong it could be felt all the way over here in District 4.' Rukia thought to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.

'Could...Could Ichigo really be in District 78?'

"What are we going to do, Rukia?" Renji suddenly called breaking Rukia from her thoughts; she narrowed her eyes slightly before she nodded to herself and looked up at him.

"I think I know where Ichigo is." Rukia stated and Renji blinked at her in shock.

"What? Then what are we doing here? Let's go." Renji growled but stopped when Rukia glared at him, silently telling him to shut up and listen.

"What that girl just told me is the only lead we have so far but if it is true then that means Ichigo is all the way in Inuzuri." Rukia explained causing Renji to gawp in shock.

"What? I thought you said he was injured? How the hell did someone with spinal injuries get to District 78 in 3 days?" Renji shouted causing Rukia to shake her head.

"2 Days Renji. He got there in 2 days; it may even be shorter than that. But this is the only lead we've got! Please Renji; we've got to check it out." Rukia pleaded causing Renji to sigh as she scratched the back of his head.

"Alright, fine. But this is your last chance Rukia! If we don't find him in Inuzuri then we head back to Seireitei; go it?" Renji stated simply and Rukia smiled as she nodded at him happily.

"Yes. Yes, thank you Renji!" Rukia gasped as she hugged Renji around the waist before using Shunpo to move quicker through the village.

* * *

**Seireitei: 4th Division**

"Well your injuries have fully healed without after effects as well. Your limp is gone and you can use Shunpo perfectly. You've made an amazing recovery, Kurosaki-San even though you ignored my orders." Restu Unohona spoke softly as she removed her hands from Ichigo's back and allowed the green Kidou to fade; Ichigo laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well I did say I healed quickly, Unohona-San." Ichigo said as he slipped his hands back into his kimono sleeves and pulled the cloth back over his shoulders; Restu hummed in agreement as she walked around her desk and sat down.

"That may be so but I do believe you should explain to me what exactly you have been doing in Rukongai for the past 3 days, Kurosaki-San." Restu stated and Ichigo nodded in agreement.

"Well you see 2 nights ago I found some kids in the rain while I was wandering around Rukongai. They siblings and the girl had a very high fever so I decided to take care of them but I just couldn't force myself to leave them alone again. I've been staying with them for the past 3 days." Ichigo explained causing Restu to blink at him shock before she gained back her composure.

"Well out of all the things I expected you to say, that wasn't one of them Kurosaki-San. Do the siblings have names? And where are you staying with them?" Restu questioned and watched as Ichigo smiled with an emotion she recognised as love; love for his family.

"They didn't have names when I met them but I call them Homura and Shizuku; together they mean 'Shine Brightly' and they really suit them. We've been staying in a small cabin in District 78 Inuzuri; I would have brought them with me today if I didn't know they could take care of themselves." Ichigo stated and Restu blinked in completely shock.

'District 78? He got so far with his injuries and has been staying their without a weapon for 3 days?' Restu thought to herself as she cleared her throat.

"Kurosaki-San are you saying you've been taking care of these siblings in Inuzuri, without a weapon and in your Shihakusho for 3 days?" She repeated and Ichigo blinked in confusion but nodded causing Restu to touch her temples softly with her fingers.

"Kurosaki-San you have the Devil's Luck. I didn't think you could shock me more than you already have but then you tell me you've been living in Inuzuri and come back completely unharmed." Restu muttered and Ichigo stayed silently knowing she was talking to herself.

"Well I won't keep you from the siblings then, Kurosaki-San. You won't make it back by nightfall as it is and you don't want them to wait any longer." Restu stated as she rouse to her feet and walked towards a small door beside her.

"Actually Unohona-San the reason I came back here so soon is because I didn't have Zangetsu. Ossan is probably irritated at me already, don't need to make him anger." Ichigo explained and Restu hummed in agreement as she reached into the doorway and pulled out a familiar wrapped blade.

"Seeing as your health would be at state if I carry on keeping this from you, I gladly return your Zanpakuto to you Kurosaki-San. Hopefully you'll keep it with you from now on; it won't do good if you wander around weapon-less if we have war-time orders." Restu explained seriously and Ichigo nodded in understanding as he wrapped his hand around Zangetsu's handle; flinching when he was assaulted by Ossan's irritated Spiritual Energy.

"I got it but it seems like I'm going to have do some major grovelling before I can use Bankai again." Ichigo muttered causing Restu to smile in amusement before she looked at him seriously.

"I would advise you to be careful though, Kurosaki-San. Something strange is going on in South Rukongai so please be on your guard." Restu advised and Ichigo nodded in understanding as he swung his Zanpakuto back on his back.

"Yeah I will, thanks Unohona-San. Do you know when my friends and I will be heading back?" Ichigo questioned and Restu nodded as she slipped her hands into her haori sleeves.

"You have a week before the gate is opened for you Kurosaki-San, so enjoy your time with those siblings while you can. When you leave, you don't know when you will see them again so savour your time with them." Restu stated and even though her words sounded harsh Ichigo understood that she was stating the truth; so with a quiet thank you Ichigo used Shunpo to exit the 4th Division and head towards the gate.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District ****74-Torvald**

The Possessed Shinigami stumbled through the dirtied streets of Torvald as rain fell from the sky soaking him through; but the Hollow inside him didn't care.

'**This body won't last much longer. I have to get to that strong Spiritual Energy and soon, otherwise I'm going to disappear with this body.**' The Hollow thought as he lifted a hand to his eyes and watched as a piece of flesh fell to the ground.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice suddenly shouted causing the Possessed Shinigami to look over his shoulder; standing not far away from him stood a rugged up gang of souls, each one of them carrying different weapons and their clothes were covered in blood and dirt.

"What's a bastard Shinigami doing all the way out here?" A blond haired male spat as he bounced the sword he held on his shoulders softly; the Possessed Shinigami stayed silent.

"No answer? Then we're going to have to kill you for entering _my_ District." The blond stated as the group started surrounding the possessed Shinigami but he still stayed silent.

"What's wrong? You scared, Shinigami?" The blond questioned as he saw the Shinigami's shoulders shake but he blinked in shock when he flung his head back with a loud laugh.

"**You idiots! You think you can take me on? I'm going to enjoy eating your souls.**" The Shinigami hissed before the wind blew sharply pushing back his fringe to reveal that his eyes were black with purple irises; before the blonde could even think about retorting the Shinigami charged forward and bit down sharply into the blonde's shoulder.

With a horrible squelching sound the Possessed Shinigami jumped back and chewed the piece of flesh he had in his teeth as blood trickled down his chin; with a loud yell the Possessed Shinigami charged forward with his Zanpakuto.

The rain continued to fall from the sky as it washed away the blood that splattered on the hard ground.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District ****78-Inuzuri**

Ichigo gasped as he stumbled to a stop in front of the familiar hut of Homura and Shizuku; he was completely soaked through from using Shunpo in the rain but he also now had mud on his tabi and waraji from the stop.

He shook his head trying to get his orange fringe out of his eyes as he slowly walked towards the window; trying to ignore his Zanpakuto's chuckles at his partner's discomfort.

'Man this is going to take a while to dry out, I'm glad I didn't wear that haori today. It would have been completely ruined.' Ichigo thought to herself as he ran a hand through his hair but he paused when a sound brushed past his ears.

Blinking Ichigo tried to hear it again and he blinked when he realized it was the familiar sound of giggling; Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he walked the hut and followed the giggling quietly.

Finally Ichigo came to a stop but he couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him; even though it was pouring with rain and they were getting soaked, Homura and Shizuku ran around the small patch of grass and chased each other.

"Hey!" Ichigo called out and waved his arm to gain their attention as he thought about how warm he feels every time he heard the siblings laugh.

"Ichii! Ichii you're back!" Homura shouted happily as she ran towards him with Shizuku not far behind him; Ichigo chuckled as the siblings crashed into him but managed to stay on his feet as he held on to them.

"Man look at you, you're both soaked. How long have you been out here?" Ichigo questioned as the siblings continued to beam up at him with their smiles; with a smile Ichigo adjusted them comfortably before making his way towards the entrance.

"Come on, let's get dried off."

* * *

"Seriously, what were you two thinking playing outside in this for so long?" Ichigo demanded as he scrubbed a towel over both the soaked siblings but when he pulled the cloth away Homura and Shizuku simply smiled at him.

"We were playing, Ichii!" Homura chirped happily and Shizuku nodded in agreement next to her.

"Playing, playing!"

"You were playing? In this weather?" Ichigo questioned and sighed when the siblings nodded happily; he scratched the back of his neck as he smirked at them.

"Man you two seriously know how to make someone worry." Ichigo whispered as he crouched down in front of them and placed his hand on each one of their shoulders.

"I'm sorry for leaving today but I can't protect without being full prepared but how about I make it up to you tomorrow?" Ichigo asked causing Homura's green eyes to sparkle.

"Oh! Will you play with us? Will you play with us all day tomorrow?" Homura asked and Ichigo chuckled as he nodded.

"Sure but only if you promise me one thing." Ichigo stated causing Homura to look at him in worry but Ichigo grinned as his brown eyes locked with the siblings green and pink ones.

"I want you to promise me that you won't go too far alone. I'm not going to stop you going out because I have no right to do that; I just want you to stay near the hut if you do, okay?" Ichigo requested; Homura and Shizuku looked at each other silently before smiling and Ichigo and nodded.

"We promise, Ichii." They chirped happily but kept their fingers crossed behind their backs; little did they know that this was one promise they should have never broken.


	5. Part V

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, Mild swearing and violence.

**Authors Notes:**

I haven't got much to say today; I wasn't planning on uploading this at all but I thought its best I do.

What happened in Japan has me very worried and sad, I have quite a few friends in Japan and also some family members; lucky enough most of them I've heard from but some are still missing. I'm praying that they are alright.

The one's that have me the most worried were Tite Kubo, Masakazu Morita (Ichigo's voice Actor) and Fumiko Orisaka (Rukia's Voice Actor); Morita and Tite have been confirmed alive but there's been no word on Fumiko. I pray that she is alright and also I pray for those who are lost and waiting to be found.

My thoughts and prays are with those in Japan.

Please enjoy this chapter and give feedback. I'm sorry it's so short but the next chapter, the last one, will be longer; also please pray for Japan and hope that nothing else happens there.

EDIT: Fumiko Orikasa has confirmed she is alive on the blog, a bit shaken but alright

EDIT AGAIN: A small scene has been added thanks to Zangetsu50!

**

* * *

**

**Part V**

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 68-Chiyo**

Renji came to a stop with a gasp of breath, his feet skidding slightly from coming out of Shunpo so quickly; as he slowly caught his breath he waited for Rukia to catch up, who had slowed down some time ago and told him to go on ahead.

Rukia appeared a few minutes later but unlike Renji, who was able to stay on his feet, she immediately fell to her knees, slapped her hand on the ground and gasped desperately for breath; her body was shaking with how much energy she had used up.

"Rukia we should stop for a bit." Renji reasoned as Rukia finally caught her breath slightly and stood to her feet.

"No. We can't stop now, I'm fine." Rukia objected but Renji shook his head when he saw the flush across her cheeks, her blood-shot eyes and the dark bags underneath them; he knew Rukia wasn't in any shape to go on any further until she got some sleep.

"Rukia we're close enough now that we can feel his Spiritual Energy. He's fine and nothing is going to happen if we rest for a bit. Both of us are still recovering Rukia, we need to be careful with how far we push ourselves; it may end up injuring us more in the long wrong." Renji tried to reason once again but Rukia shook her head causing Renji to sigh.

"I'm giving you a choice here, Rukia. Either get some sleep by your own choice, or I'll knock you unconscious; take your pick." Renji growled causing Rukia to blink in shock; after a couple of minutes of glaring Rukia finally sighed.

"Okay." She whispered causing Renji to release a sigh of relief as they slowly started heading towards a Inn close by; behind them the sun slowly rouse over the Soul Society.

**

* * *

**

South Rukongai: District 78-Inuzuri

"Come on, Ichii!" Homura cried out as she kept pulling on Ichigo's hand to make him go faster; Ichigo smirked as he stumbled along after her.

"I can't go any faster, Homura." Ichigo called out but the little girl kept pulling his arm, Shizuku laughed as he ran a little ahead of the two.

"Where are we going anyway?" Ichigo asked as he picked Shizuku up and placed him on his shoulders.

"Up there!" Homura cried out as she pointed up ahead; Ichigo blinked as he saw a hill up ahead.

"It's called the Castle Ruins." Homura explained as the two of the walked and Shizuku giggled slightly as he threaded his fingers through Ichigo's bright hair.

"It's our favourite spot to play in and now we're going to show Ichigo!" Shizuku cried out happily; Ichigo winced slightly as the young boy tugged too hard on his hair.

"Ow! Be careful Shizuku. I like my hair better on my head than in your hand." Ichigo stated playfully and Shizuku petted Ichigo's orange hair as an apology.

"Tell us more about you, Ichii!" Homura suddenly cried out as she skidded to a stop and turned and faced the orange-headed Shinigami.

"What do you want to know?" Ichigo asked as he waited until the little girl started skipping again.

Homura stopped once again as she folded her arms over her chest as she looked down at her feet.

"What were you like when you were little?" Homura finally asked causing Ichigo to freeze before he forced himself to breath.

"As a child I was always small for my age, small and skinny." Ichigo stated as the two of them started to walk again, Shizuku also listened silently.

"Was your hair this bright?" Shizuku asked and Ichigo smirked as he nodded slightly.

"Yes it was. I got it from...my mother." Ichigo spoke sadly, Homura held out her hand and Ichigo couldn't help but smile slightly as he gript his hand into hers.

"I loved her with all my heart; I never wanted to leave her alone. I wanted to protect her with all my power." Ichigo stated as he looked down.

"Ichii..." Homura whispered and Ichigo swallowed before he looked down at Homura.

"She died a month before I turned 10; she was killed by a Hollow that...was actually after me. Everything changed then; myself included." Ichigo said seriously, Homura squeezed her hand as the two of them continued to walk.

"I blamed myself for her death and took on a heavy burden, I hid my feelings from my family but in the end I ended up hurting them a lot more." Ichigo finished, Shizuku tugged slightly on his hair to get his attention.

"That's why you scowl all the time." Shizuku cried out gleefully, Homura laughed as Ichigo smirked; the depressing atmosphere vanishing.

"Don't worry, Ichii! We'll be your family!" Homura declared and Shizuku nodded in full agreement on Ichigo's shoulders.

"Yeah! We'll help you, Ichii!" Shizuku cried out, Ichigo couldn't help but smile at them.

"Thanks, you two." Ichigo thanked and Homura grinned before she started skipping once again, Ichigo following not far behind.

**

* * *

**

South Rukongai: District 77-Kyoko

Laughing rang through the dirtied streets of Kyoko as the Possessed Shinigami walked through with his Zanpakuto swinging widely; screams were heard as the souls were cut down as they tried to run.

"**It's so close! I can practically taste it!**" The Hollow laughed as blood flew through the air and splattered on the ground; blood dripped from his mouth and his clothes as he walked through the District cutting down anyone in his path.

"Fumio! No!" A woman suddenly screamed before the Possessed Shinigami felt something crashed against the back of his head; he slowly looked over his shoulder to see a teenage boy with blond hair holding a snapped piece of wood, glaring at him with frightened green eyes.

"**What was that, brat? Was that meant to hurt?**" He demanded as the boy stumbled back in his shock, the Hollow could see a young black haired woman not from his right holding a small child; he guessed the boy was her son.

"Fumio, run!" The woman screamed out desperately but he was frozen in placed as the Possessed Shinigami reached down and grabbed him by his neck; the Hollow giggled in glee as the boy struggled to breath.

"**You are very silly boy; you just signed your death warrant. The fact I could actually feel your strike, even if it was only a tap, means that you have Spiritual Energy. So your soul is now mine!**" The hollow laughed as leaned forward and bit deeply into the boy's neck; behind him the woman screamed in horror at the sight of her son slowly being consumed.

"**Don't worry woman, you'll be next.**" The Possessed Shinigami laughed as he allowed the body to drop from his hands and turned towards the woman with his Zanpakuto ready.

Fumio's dead green eyes stared at nothing as his mother's screamed in agony and sorrow; as blood painted the path his body turned into Spiritual Particles and disappeared.

The Hollow laughed widely as he forced the Shinigami to continue on; he was so close! He wasn't about to stop until the strong Spiritual Energy became his own.

**

* * *

**

South Rukongai: District 78-Inuzuri

Ichigo couldn't help but smile as he watched the siblings play together in front of him; he had expected Castle Ruins to be just as the name suggested but Ichigo found himself shocked when it turned out to be a huge cliff covered in grass and poppies.

He himself never cared about scenery but even Ichigo found himself shocked at the sight in front of him, living in the city he never got to see places like this and he was planning on relaxing as much as possible.

"Ow!" Shizuku suddenly cried out and Ichigo quickly sat up to look over at him; Shizuku was laying face down on the ground but was slowly pushing himself up.

"Are you okay?" Homura asked in concern but Shizuku smiled and nodded before tapping her shoulder with a triumphant laugh.

"Tag! You're it, Onee-Chan!" Shizuku cried out as he quickly jumped to feet and took off running with Homura not far behind him.

Ichigo allowed himself to lay back down when he realised the young boy was fine, he knew from looking after Yuzu and Karin that he couldn't jump and worry over the child every time they fell over; they would do it just for attention most of the time and Ichigo knew Shizuku wasn't even cut as he couldn't smell any blood.

With a small smile he allowed himself to look back towards the sky, which had cleared up nicely after the storm it had last night; it was nice to relax like this considering the last time he relaxed was before he met Rukia.

Suddenly his remembered what Restu had warned him yesterday when she gave him back his Zanpakuto, her words were serious and Ichigo had also been feeling something at the edge of his senses; he was getting a very bad feeling.

'It's going to be hard to leave this place.' Ichigo thought to himself as he shook away his bad thoughts and closed his eyes; he had found himself becoming very close to both Homura and Shizuku, they were like younger siblings to him and he knew it was going to be hard to leave them.

"Ichii!" The sibling's voice suddenly cried out before Ichigo felt them jump on his chest and stomach; the air left his lungs with a huff as they continued to laugh happily.

"Damn it, you two. Are you trying to kill me?" Ichigo questioned after he caught his breath and forced himself to sit up; Shizuku continued to giggle as Homura smiled up at him.

"Come play with us, Ichii!" Homura demanded causing Ichigo to smirk.

"I'm not sure. Would you be able to keep up with me?" Ichigo teased even though he had no intention of letting them down; he planned to enjoy his stay with the siblings until the end.

"We can! Can't we Shizuku?"

"We can! We can!" Shizuku repeated after Homura's questioned causing Ichigo to chuckle quietly as he forced himself to stand to his feet; he removed his Zanpakuto from its bandages before piercing the blade into the ground.

"Well considering I've been tagged; that makes me it, right?" Ichigo questioned as he tied the sleeves of his haori and kimono up to his shoulders with a piece of ribbon; Homura and Shizuku nodded happily before they realized what Ichigo had just said.

"So why aren't you running?" Ichigo called out before he reached out for them; Homura and Shizuku screamed and took off running, with Ichigo not far behind them.

Homura, Shizuku and Ichigo chased each other around for almost 2 hours and even though he was smiling his mind constantly kept repeating Restu's warning to him.

"_I would advise you to be careful though, Kurosaki-San. Something strange is going on in South Rukongai so please be on your guard. You have a week before the gate is opened for you Kurosaki-San, so enjoy your time with those siblings while you can. When you leave, you don't know when you will see them again so savour your time with them."_

Finally the group of 3 collapsed on their backs with breathless laughs as they tried to catch their breath; Shizuku and Homura continued to giggle as they leaned against Ichigo's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

(AN: New scene from Zangetsu50)

"Ah! Look!" Homura cried out happily causing Ichigo to look towards where she was pointing; he couldn't help by smile at the sight of a cloud shaped in a very familiar rabbit.

"Heh...Chappy the rabbit." He muttered causing Homura and Shizuku to look at him curiously.

"That cloud reminds me of my friend's drawings. She can't draw anything and anything she does manage to create is a rabbit." Ichigo explained causing Homura to gasp in shock.

"Really, Ichii? Could you show us what they looked like?" Homura asked and Shizuku nodded in agreement; Ichigo blinked in confusion before smiling as he reached into his kimono.

"It's a good thing I kept this then." Ichigo stated as he pulled out a small sheet of paper that was folded neatly; written on the page was the familiar letter Rukia wrote before she went to the Soul Society.

"Wow!" Homura gasped happily as she and Shizuku tried to read the note but having no such luck; with a smile Ichigo allowed himself to fall back against the grass and listened to the siblings whispers as they tried to work out the note.

(AN: Thanks Zangetsu50 ^_^)

Ichigo slowly allowed himself to relax against the grass as he held the siblings close, he couldn't deny he loved them both dearly and he was planning on enjoying staying with them as much as possible

Suddenly his eyes shot open as the Spiritual Energy that had barely been brushing against his senses suddenly shot up in strength; Ichigo quickly stood to his feet and quickly concentrated on the power he was feeling.

"Ichii?" Homura questioned softly as she tried to work out what was making him so tense; he was fine just a second ago.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he realized exactly where the Spiritual Energy was coming from; it was very close to the border between District 77 and Inuzuri.

It was heading towards them.

With that thought in his head he pulled the siblings underneath one arm and grabbed Zangetsu with his other hand.

"Ichii! What are you doing? It's not night time yet!" Homura objected as she tried to scrim free but Ichigo kept hold of both her and Shizuku too tightly; he easily ignored their protests as he used Shunpo to jump across the village.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the hut they lived; quickly he placed them down on the floor before returning Zangetsu back on his back.

"You two here, do you hear me? It's too dangerous to go out alone so stay in the hut." Ichigo ordered sharply causing Homura to glare at him.

"Why? Why can't we keep playing?" Homura demanded causing Ichigo to give a growl of frustration; before he even realised he was glaring down at them angrily.

"Because I said so! Now do as I say and go back inside!" Ichigo barked causing both Shizuku and Homura to jump in fear before he used Shunpo to disappear.

* * *

Homura continued to stare at the place he stood a second ago in shock; never in the past 4 days had Ichigo raised his voice like that against them.

She glared angrily at the spot before spinning around and stomping towards the door, Shizuku quickly followed her in confusion.

"Onee-Chan where are you going? Ichii said to stay here." Shizuku called out causing Homura to scoff and glare at her younger brother.

"Why would I care for what _Ichigo_ has to say? We took care of ourselves before he came along so we will from now on! We don't need him!" Homura stated simply and Shizuku bit his lip as he looked down to the ground.

"B-But-"

"But nothing! Now I'm going back to the Castle Ruins to play; are you coming or not?" Homura demanded and after a couple of seconds of silence Shizuku nodded and followed her outside.

They didn't notice someone standing in the shadows, watching them run away with a gleeful smile; purple and black eyes gleaming in sickening pleasure before they disappeared.

Protector of the Strong Shine


	6. Part VI

**Universe: **Bleach

**Parings: **None!

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

**Warnings: **Some Spoilers for Fade to Black, Mild swearing and violence.

**Authors Notes:**

Quickest update ever!

Aniko: **My god Queen! Did you stay up for the past 48 just to get this finished?**

Haha of course not...maybe...Okay fine! Yes I've been up for almost 96 hours and I'm exhausted but forget about my lack of sleep and the fact I'm running purely on Mountain Dew Energy drinks (Seriously those things are addicting as anything. I've probably drunk over 80 bottles of the stuff in 2 weeks) and chocolate...

T_T

It's over! This is the finale chapter to 'Fade to Black Scripts-Book 1: Protection of the Strong Shine'! That's right I have finally finished this, it's such a relief because I never actually got round to completing the original version.

I hated writing this chapter, it took a lot of effort for me to finish this but I had the finale scene with Homura and Shizuku already written so that helped me a bit. No but I defiantly will miss writing this story, sadly book 2 won't be as happy and relaxing as this one is I'm afraid.

Please review and give me feedback and thank you to all those people who have reviewed this story and probably the original versions!

Also please pray for Japan as it seems that they keep getting struck by everything, seriously they seem to be getting hit by anything the world can create and it just making me even more depressed each time I check up on them; so please pray for those alive and now safe, pray for those who are missing and that they will find their families and also for a peaceful afterlife for those thousands of people who've already lost their lives.

I will see you guys in GS, which will now be getting back on track, and please look out for 'Fade to Black Scripts-Book 2: Sorrow of the First Star' which I will start uploading as soon as I get the plot sorted ^_^

Enjoy!

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**

**Protection of the Strong Shine**

**Part VI**

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 77-Kyoko/78-Inuzuri**

'Idiot! You shouldn't have shouted at them like that, they don't deserve to have your frustration taken out on them.' Ichigo lectured himself as he landed lightly on his feet in front of the boarder gate; immediately his eyes narrowed in suspicion when he realised there were no guards.

As he walked closer towards the gate Ichigo caught sight of blood staining the ground on the wall, the fresh scent of the metallic liquid still lingered in the air so he could tell they had only been killed recently.

'They must have been killed by whoever possessed that dense Spiritual Energy. It felt so evil but I could sense Hollow and Shinigami Spiritual Energy mixed in it.' Ichigo thought to himself as he scratched the back of his neck inside his hood; which he had slipped over his head to hide his orange hair.

"Damn I can't sense it anymore. Where did it go?" Ichigo whispered to himself as he continued to scan his surroundings not noticing two familiar Shinigami coming through the gate.

"I was sure I felt him around here."

"Don't worry Rukia. We'll find him."

Ichigo stiffened in shock as he heard the familiar voices of Renji and Rukia, blinking in shock he looked over his shoulder to see them looking around in curiosity.

"Rukia? Renji?" Ichigo called out causing the Shinigami to look at him in confusion; their hands went to their Zanpakuto's when they spotted Ichigo standing a few feet away from them.

"Who are you and how do y-Ichigo?" Rukia cut off with a shocked yell as Ichigo pushed back his hood to reveal his spiky orange hair and brown eyes.

"Hey guys! What are you doing all the way out here?" Ichigo questioned but suddenly he doubled over in pain as Rukia punched him straight in the stomach.

"Idiot! You've been missing for almost 4 days and all you say is 'Hey, guys'? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought you were going to get killed without your-" Rukia trailed off as she realised that Ichigo's Zanpakuto was resting on his back.

"When did you get your Zanpakuto back?" Rukia demanded as she pointed towards his Zanpakuto; Ichigo scratched the back of his head with a smirk.

"I got him back yesterday." Ichigo stated simply causing Rukia to fume in annoyance; behind them Renji cursed as he realised Ichigo must have straight past them to get to Seireitei, and again to get back here!

"Just what the hell have you been doing this past week, Ichigo? When I last saw you, you could barely sit up straight on your own without pain but now not only can you walk perfectly but you have used Shunpo to get to Seireitei and back in a day! I think we deserve an explanation." Renji growled in annoyance as he grabbed Ichigo by the neck of his clothes and hauled him up.

"Alright, alright! Just calm down." Ichigo soothed as he raised his hands up in surrender, Renji snorted before setting Ichigo back on his feet.

With a sigh Ichigo quickly started explaining where why he had left in the first place, when he met the siblings and gave them the names Homura and Shizuku.

"For the past 4 days I've been living with them. We were actually playing at the Castle Ruins when I suddenly felt a dense Spiritual Energy coming from around here; that's when you guys found me." Ichigo finished with a sigh before crossing his arms over his chest as both Renji and Rukia gawped at him in shock.

"You mean all this time..." Rukia trailed off as Ichigo simply nodded; she never expected him to do such a thing, to put himself in danger just to take care of a pair of children.

Her trail of thought was suddenly broken when Renji burst out laughing, he held wrapped his arms around his stomach and laughed deep from within his chest.

"You've turned soft! For the past week you've been taken care of a pair of Inuzuri brats!" Renji laughed before Ichigo whacked him around the head furiously.

"You shut up, Renji! From what Rukia told me, you were also an Inuzuri brat!" Ichigo retorted as Renji rubbed the back of his head.

"Stop it both of you! I swear whenever you two are together, you do nothing but argue!" Rukia shouted kicked both of them causing them to curse.

"But even so, I can't believe you've spent the past 4 days looking after a pair of children; you even named them! I hope you're not getting too attached to them Ichigo, remember you belong in the human world not here; you won't be able to take them with you." Rukia lectured causing Ichigo to nod silently; Rukia sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I want you to promise me you are never going to do something like that again; I don't care what you're doing, just warn me first so you don't worry me." Rukia stated causing Ichigo to smirk.

"You know only someone who is remotely worried would say something like that." Ichigo teased causing Rukia to blush in embarrassment as he repeated the same words he used when he stood on top of the Hollow Shrieker.

"Shut up, idiot." She muttered causing Ichigo to grin.

Suddenly the 3 Shinigami's eyes widened in shock as they felt a familiar, to Ichigo, dense Spiritual Energy assault their senses.

"W-What?" Rukia gasped in shock as she stumbled slightly from the force of the Energy; Renji growled a curse as he gript his Zanpakuto tightly in his hand.

But Ichigo didn't notice his friend's reactions to the Spiritual Energy; he knew the energy he was feeling was the one he was tracking before he met up with them.

The one he left the siblings for to track down and that was now getting steadily closer towards their Spiritual aura.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed before he ignored his friend's protests and used Shunpo to disappear; Renji and Rukia quickly following him but at a slower pase.

'Please...please be back at home!' Ichigo prayed to himself as he ran through the streets with Shunpo but somewhere in his heart he knew they wouldn't have listened to him; not after shouting at them.

He just hoped he got to them in time.

* * *

**South Rukongai: District 78-Inuzuri; the Castle Ruins**

Homura and Shizuku collapsed on their backs with breath laughs; they continued to giggle to themselves as they slowly caught their breaths but as Shizuku slowly calmed down his smile slowly faded.

Homura had managed to distract his mind so he didn't think about what Ichigo had told them but now as he was slowly calming down his mind went back to Ichigo's finale words to them before he disappeared.

"_You two here, do you hear me? It's too dangerous to go out alone so stay in the hut."_

"_Because I said so! Now do as I say and go back inside!"_

"_I want you to promise me that you won't go too far alone. I'm not going to stop you going out because I have no right to do that; I just want you to stay near the hut if you do, okay?"_

"_...It's too dangerous to go out alone so stay in the hut!"_

'What was Ichii finding dangerous? Was it something alone he could sense because he's a Shinigami?' Shizuku thought to himself as he bit his lip but he was brought out of his thoughts by Homura as she shook his shoulder roughly.

"What's wrong, Shizuku? You suddenly went quiet. You're not thinking about _Ichigo_ again are you?" Homura questioned as she glared slightly at her younger brother; Shizuku flinched slightly when he heard her stress the use of Ichigo's full name before he nodded his head.

"Shizuku you shouldn't be thinking about him! He obviously doesn't care about us because he shouted at us!" Homura complained as she crossed her arms over her chest but Shizuku stayed silent.

"We should go back." Shizuku suddenly stated sharply causing Homura to blink at him shock; his pink eyes were filled with worry and fear.

"Why would you say that? We're having fun right? Is it because of what Ichigo said? I told you not to listen to anything he sa-?"

"It's not just that! Can't you feel it Onee-Chan? Something evil is out there and Ichii obviously knew about it; that's why he made us stay near the hut. He wanted to protect us, it dangerous! We need to go back; we should have never broken out promise!" Shizuku shouted out hoarsely as tears filled his eyes; Homura narrowed her bright green eyes in annoyance and opened her mouth to retaliate but suddenly the two of them froze.

'W-what is this?' Homura cried out mentally as she tried to breath but her lungs stopped working as she collapsed to her knees, having stood to her feet to argue with Shizuku, as she gasped for breath; Shizuku was in the same condition as his sister.

The pressure felt dense and evil to them to top it off it was also very strong; to the siblings it felt someone was wrapping their hands around their throats and slowly squeezing them.

Suddenly the pressure was and both Homura and Shizuku gasped for breath desperately; sadly their relief was short lived as they heard someone land on the grass a few feet away from them.

Homura swallowed heavily before she slowly turned her head to see who had arrived but her eyes widened in horror when she saw a dark red headed Shinigami slowly walking towards them while drawing his Zanpakuto.

**

* * *

**

South Rukongai: District 78-Inuzuri

"Homura! Shizuku!" Ichigo shouted as he jumped through the window of the hut but he growled as he realized it was completely deserted; Homura and Shizuku were long gone.

'Damn it! I told them not to go out on their own!' Ichigo thought to himself in frustration but suddenly a sharp scream was heard through the village causing Ichigo's insides to freeze.

"The Castle ruins..." Ichigo whispered before he quickly jumped into Shunpo and ran as fast as his legs would go.

"Ichii! Help!" The familiar voice of Homura screamed as he ran up the side of the cliff; finally he managed to make to the top but his eyes widened in shock as he caught sight of what was going on.

Homura and Shizuku were cornered at the edge of the cliff with a Shinigami standing in front of them, he was holding his Zanpakuto out intending to cut them down.

"Get away from them!" Ichigo shouted as he used Shunpo to appear in front of him; with a yell he unconsciously forced his Spiritual Energy into his hand before punching the Shinigami straight in the stomach sending him flying backwards.

"Are you 2 alright?" Ichigo asked he crouched down in front of them; Shizuku was crying slightly in fear but he managed to nod.

"Ichii that was awesome!" Homura cheered causing Ichigo to smile at her slightly but suddenly Shizuku suddenly gasped in fear.

"Ichii behind you!" Shizuku shouted and Ichigo immediately turned and grabbed the wrist of the Shinigami that was trying to attack them from behind; Ichigo brought his foot up and kicked him sharply in the chest.

The Shinigami once again went tumbling backwards and Ichigo growled in annoyance when he quickly jumped to his feet; but his eyes widened in shock as black and purple Spiritual Energy started surrounding the Shinigami and Ichigo could see his head was tilted at an unnatural angle.

"Wait...what the hell is he?" Ichigo whispered to himself as he reached up to grab his Zanpakuto's hilt over his shoulder; the Shinigami stumbled around as a transparent serpent suddenly appeared around his neck.

"**There it is! The Spiritual Energy I've been tracking, I must have it!**" The Shinigami hissed and Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he realised exactly what it was.

"Shit! Run you two!" Ichigo shouted before he quickly released Zangetsu from his bandages and brought the Zanpakuto up to block the Shinigami's strike.

"Ichii!" Shizuku cried out before Homura grabbed his wrist and started pulling him towards the pathway; Ichigo grunted as his arms shook with the effort of keeping the Shinigami back.

The Shinigami chuckled as he pressed more heavily onto the blades and Ichigo gasped as his knees gave out sending him to the ground; quickly he rolled to the side as the Shinigami tried to pierce him through.

Quickly Ichigo jumped to his feet and gave a yell as he swung his Zanpakuto but his eyes widened in shock when the Shinigami brought his hand up and stopped him in his tracks.

"What?" Ichigo whispered before he suddenly cried out as the Shinigami grabbed his wrist and flipped the orange head teen over his head and to the ground, Zangetsu flew from his hand and landed a few feet away from him

"Ichii!" Homura cried out as Ichigo landed harshly on his back; Ichigo coughed as he rolled to his feet and quickly used Shunpo to appear in front of the siblings as the Shinigami charged towards them.

"Stay away from them!" Ichigo shouted as he clenched his fist and punched forward but the Shinigami laughed as he grabbed Ichigo's wrist stopping his attack once again.

"Ichii!" Shizuku shouted as the Shinigami's calloused hands wrapped around Ichigo's throat and lifted him in the air; Ichigo gasped and scratched at the hands but they didn't budge.

"Y-You're...a...Hollow...!" Ichigo gasped but the man simply laughed and tightened his hold on Ichigo's throat causing him to release a strangled cry.

The man continued to laugh as he tipped Ichigo's head back and forced his mouth open; Ichigo eyes widened in horror as the transparent serpent once again appeared around the man's neck.

With a laugh the Hollow forced his tail down Ichigo's throat causing him to choke as he tried to breath, his eyes were turning purple as the Hollow slowly took control.

"**Arg!**" Both the Hollow and the Shinigami screamed as they felt pain in their leg; the man looked down to see Homura glaring up at him while holding his Zanpakuto in his leg.

"Let go of Ichii, Shinigami!" Homura cried out before the Shinigami suddenly swung his hand and punched her to the ground.

"**You little brat!**" He growled as Ichigo fell from his grip to the ground gasping for breath; the man pulled his Zanpakuto free from his leg and started stalking towards the terrified Homura.

"Onee-Chan!" Shizuku shouted as he suddenly jumped and covered his sister's body with his own; Ichigo coughed as he tried to force himself to his feet, his eyes wide with horror.

The Hollow laughed as he forced the Shinigami to bring down his Zanpakuto down and Ichigo screamed out in despair as blood stained the ground.

Suddenly Ichigo saw his world becoming blurry; he watched through unfocused eyes as the dead Shinigami suddenly fell to the ground before disappearing into Spiritual Particles with Homura and Shizuku.

"Ichigo!" He heard the familiar voice of Rukia scream before he finally collapsed on to the ground unconscious.

**

* * *

**

2 Days Later: Seireitei-4**th**** Division**

Ichigo groaned as he slowly felt himself waking up; he heard someone gasp in shock as his eyes slowly opened, blinking at the bright light surrounding him.

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime Inoue cried out happily as leaned over to Ichigo's brown eyes blinking in confusion; he could see Renji, Rukia, Uryuu, Orihime and Sado all surrounding his bed.

"G-Guys? W-What are you doing?" Ichigo croaked as he rubbed his sore throat and he quietly thanked Orihime as she passed him a small clay cup of water.

"We've been waiting for you to wake up, Kurosaki. It's been 2 days." Uryuu stated simply as he pushed his glasses up his nose but Ichigo blinked in confusion.

"2 days? Since we stopped the execution? Then why are you all healed up so well?" Ichigo demanded as he set the water back down; his biting question made his friends blink at him in shock.

"Ichigo it's been a whole week since all that. What Ishida means is that you've been unconscious for 2 days." Rukia explained but Ichigo continued to look at her in confusion.

"You were found in South Rukongai: District 78-Inuzuri unconscious, Ichigo. What were you doing all the way out there?" Renji growled in annoyance but Ichigo only blinked in shock.

"Inuzuri? Isn't that where you two grew up? Why would I be all the way out there?" Ichigo questioned causing everyone to face-falter in shock.

"We don't know, Ichigo; that's why we're asking you." Rukia stated sharply but Ichigo shook his head with annoyance clear on his face.

"I don't know what you're going on about, guys. The last thing I remember is having my last physical therapy session with Unohona-San then going to bed. I don't remember getting up after falling asleep." Ichigo explained as he rubbed the back of his neck; in the back of his mind he realised he could move without feeling any pain in his spine.

"But then how did you get into South Rukongai? Hell, how did you get all the way out into District 78 and what were you doing over there for the past 4 days?" Renji shouted but Ichigo could only shrug to show he didn't know; Rukia noted that even though he had lost a week of his memories he didn't actually seem to care.

"I feel like I _know_ why you were out there and what you were doing but every time I try and find it in my memories it disappears." Rukia admitted quietly causing Renji to blink in shock before he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I have that feeling too." Renji agreed and Ichigo hummed in agreement, having tried multiple times during talking to them to access the memories with no success; his Zanpakuto wasn't being helpful either, in fact the Old man was downright ignoring him.

'Did I do something to piss him off?' Ichigo thought to himself but shook away the thought; he'd think on it later.

After an hour of questioning from the group, except Sado he just grunted, they finally decided there was no point in continuing; Ichigo obviously didn't remember what happened so there was no point in constantly pestering him.

With that thought in mind Ichigo, Uryuu, Orihime and Sado set out to enjoy their finale week in Soul Society before they had to return.

But as he walked through the Senkaimon Ichigo couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened during that week is memories were lost from and why did he feel so sad about it?

Finally Ichigo shrugged and pushed the thought to the back of his mind, he would remember what happened if it was important; with that Ichigo continued home and also to the stacks of homework waiting on his desk to be finished for school tomorrow.

He couldn't help but groan at the thought of it.

* * *

**Heuco Mundo**

The sands of Heuco Mundo blew softly against the ground as the eternal night sky shone down upon the cursed land; but a small cave covered by rocks was surrounded by Spiritual Particles, the only sign of life.

Suddenly, with a flash of purple and black, the Spiritual Particles slowly formed two bodies; one male with dark blue hair that came down to his shoulders and pale skin the other female with blond and pink spiky hair that was shoulder length also and tanned skin.

The light pink kimono the girl wore was torn at the ends and only just came to her knees, around her waist she had a long light green obi tied around her waist and finally a light purple hood resting on the back of her neck.

The boy's light blue kimono was almost perfectly intact, it was torn half way down his chest and also his back revealing his shoulder blades; he also wore a light green obi but his was shorter than the girl's.

As the dust slowly settled down Homura and Shizuku took a deep breath at the same time before their eyes opened slowly for the first time in their older forms.

Their eyes locked on each other's, green eyes locked with pink, and slowly similar grins appeared on their lips before they closed their eyes and fell asleep; at that moment not carrying where they were just happy that they were alive and together.

Sadly the peace for them won't last as inside their minds the serpent Hollow sat quietly as his powers slowly grew stronger with the help of the siblings own strength; his relaxed as he watched scenes flash behind his eyes before picking one and destroying it.

Slowly he would destroy the siblings memories until they were weak enough for him to take over; then he would get revenge on that orange haired Shinigami; with a quiet chuckle the serpent fell back to sleep.

**End of Fade to Black Scripts: Book 1-Protection of the Strong Shine**


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